Please help. Mice. Cluttered House. OCD

[ScaredOfMice]

OK - so am freaking out.

Background. I have OCD - unfortunately in this case not the kind where my home is tidy - but I have fear around contamination - chemicals and other things.

Due to my illness, my house is very cluttered. Things all over the floor. Things in bags - am currently sleeping in my living room and keeping my clothes in open bags. Also, work stuff and papers in open bags in my living room. Some papers and books have been on the floor

So the other day I heard something moving around when it was just me in the house. Sounded like it was from behind my sofa which had stuff underneath it that needed cleaning - as in lots. I've been scared to face the underneath of my sofa for other reasons for over a year - but bit the bullet. Couldn't see any mice but there were a couple of places where I now think it was mouse droppings - at the time I thought I was mistaken as they were so localised - not droppings all over - just two small places with a bunch of droppings - but reading up now I realise that often they are localised. By that point I'd hoovered behind and under the sofa - hoovering the droppings up - I gather I shouldn't have done that.

Yesterday, I was trying to tackle the bags piles of stuff and bags in the general living room. Found under one bag a whole bunch of Nerd sweets all over the floor. I hoovered them up, but then realised there were droppings amongst them. I've steamed that bit of the carpet - don't know if that'll kill germs - and wiped under the bag with dettol. Not gone through the bag yet - psyching myself up to check the rest of the room.

I'm scared of what I'm going to find with the rest of my living room.

I'm scared that the clothes in the open bags will be contaminated - that everything in my living room is contaminated - but my house is in such a state I just don't know where to begin with making it safe.

I'm also scared that my work stuff which is kept in open bags in the living room will be contaminated - including paper handouts that it is part of my job to give out. I work with older adults with various health complaints.

Pest control at the council is going to call me within the next 5 days. I'm scared of poisons and people coming in with poison on their clothes and whether it'll contaminate everything - -especially as I'm in such a mess.

I feel totally paralysed and don't know what to do

You need to go to your GP and get some help for the OCD and anxiety. It’s unlikely pest control will be able to do much if your house is that crammed. Even if they can it will reoccur.

Thanks for replying. Believe it or not, my OCD would be seen as being manageable - medication and holding down a job that I'm good at - just my living situation is rubbish - and therapy doesn't sort that - I need practical help to get on top of my situation. Very probably undiagnosed ADHD going on here too - struggle with executive function/organisation

I have had intervention before when I was very poorly with the OCD - to the point of being suicidal - my experience is that what can be done is very limited

As in, they'll give me talking therapy - but talking therapy doesn't help me sort out the chaos I live in

You need a plan and this would be my plan if I were you

Pest control will likely cost you £150+ but I think you can do better yourself. If you are scared of poisons, I can highly recommend an electronic trap. I'd get two if you can. You set it with a generous smear of peanut butter or Nutella on the inside wall, leave it to do its thing, mouse walks in tempted by tasty smell and just as it sinks it's teeth into a smidge of Nutella on the back wall it's walking on the contacts and gets zapped. A red light flashes when it's zapped one. Then simply take it outside - we have a concrete area near some trees where you get owls, red kits, magpies etc. Open the lid and allow the dead mouse to fall out - you're not handling the mouse or the innards of the trap at all but you can do it with rubber gloves .(it's not flattened or bloody, it's just a mouse but dead of being zapped). Nature will do it's thing - or you can put out with your bin if you prefer. Replace & reset the trap till no mice left.
https://www.screwfix.com/p/pest-stop-plastic-metal-battery-powered-mouse-killer/45407

For you stuff, I'd buy some plastic tubs with lids
Asda do them relatively cheaply eg https://direct.asda.com/george/home/home-storage/D26M21G01C03,default,sc.html but other places also have a selection. Get some of a suitable size for paperwork and others 80l for clothing.

For the mice themselves, can you cast an eye over the room and remove EVERYTHING edible, this will make them keener for your bait. (I use peanut butter or Nutella). Hoover up any areas there may be crumbs and if possible avoid eating in the room. They tend to like to run round the outsides of a room, and this is the best place for a trap near to where you have already found evidence. They'll tend to prefer to keep to areas with food and avoid areas you've recently used/disturbed/that smell of you, so likely your clothing / work stuff may well be OK if you are rummaging in those bags regularly. I would pop rubber gloves on, and check carefully the contents of the work bags (I'd start with those), and then place the good stuff inside a plastic tub and secure with lid. You need to check for mouse poo (looks like a black grain of rice) and any slightly yellow wee like spots which will smell of ammonia.
For your bags of clothing, open and take a quick smell, if still smells like fresh clothing/washing you're probably fine. However if it smells farmyardy/ammonia/rabbit hutch you may find nice Mrs Mouse has decided to shred your favourite jumper at the bottom of the bag to make a nest. If you get one of these, leave to last. Either way I'd carefully decant the contents of the first 'smells OK' bag item by item till you have a pile you can wash and dry, and then when dry pack into one of your larger clothing boxes, making sure you snap the lid firmly on.

Meanwhile also look carefully as to 'how did mouse arrive here'? Are there any holes in the wall/skirting etc - block them up by whatever means you can (silicone sealant works well) remembering mice can suck their ribcages inwards and slide through a gap the size of a pencil.
You may also have problems in other areas of your house but they're coming through to the lounge if you're eating there/keeping snacks there.

Hope it goes ok, and you can report back confidently the plan is working later in the week.

The other thing you might be able to do is ask for the social prescriber if your surgery has one to recommend a professional declutter who will be well used to dealing with these situations and can help you execute the plan.

I meant to add, you're less likely to catch anything from mice as opposed to rats they're generally a bit worse being bigger and carrying more diseases, but with careful cleaning and clearing and storing in plastic tubs with lids rather than bags will prevent them getting into the important stuff

I put books on my bookcase yesterday from some bags and also from on the floor before I found the droppings under a bag near them - if they didn't have droppings on, does that mean they should be OK or do I need to decontaminate my whole bookcase?

You obviously have hoarding as a co-morbidity of OCD. Despite the fact that you appear to everyone else to be managing, in the kindest possible way, you obviously are not in reality. You need to seek help and support. Do you have family who are aware of your problem? I think it would be a good idea to see a doctor as a starting point.

Mice generally aren't that interested in books other than to shred for a bed. I would think they were after your crumbs, so I'd say very likely OK. (If it were me, I'd not bother, or at most wipe over just the outside of the books I put there with anti bac spray )

Get a humane trap and see if that works. Regarding contamination, I know you have ocd and can understand that you're worried, but I've had quite a few mice visiting me courtesy of the cat who likes to bring them in and they lose them, and I didn't clean anything. No droppings though.

Hope you get help with the clutter problem. If you keep disturbing the areas of clutter, mice don't like that.

I think you've had really good advice above.
Just go through each bag methodically, wipe items with whatever cleaning method you prefer (disposable wipes, wet cloth and dish soap, anti bac) and place items into a more suitable container. Clean underneath the bag and throw the bag away. By this method you will decontaminate the house methodically and efficiently.

In the longer term, why can't talking therapy help you with your ocd and hoarding? Something like CBT should help you challenge your routines and beliefs.

And I know me saying this won't make you believe it but living alongside mice for a short time won't hurt you.

I would strongly suggest a podcast called overcoming compulsive hoarding.
although you are describing clutter rather than hoarding, it does sound pretty extreme & this podcast has lots of useful approaches in it & is a v sympathetic listen

Have you had someone come out and look at your living conditions? When I admitted hoarding to my psychiatrist they sent someone round the house to have a look - visually it's not actually bad because it's all in the loft/garage so nothing further was suggested for me.

If you're similar to me you'd probably benefit from someone just coming and removing lots of your belongings. I'm sure there are people who do this as almost a charity thing to help others.

In terms of cleaning things, not sure what to do about paper - got a lot of paperwork that has ended up in bags/on the floor in the living room and obviously can't wipe over that with anti bac wipes!

Bag with droppings under was in the middle of living room - it looks like my daughter left a box of nerds somewhere near that so it was nerds amongst droppings. I gather you're not supposed to hoover up mouse droppings but I did before I read that - Hoping changing the bag will be sufficient for there not to now be airborne nasties when I hoover (got a Miele which is pretty efficient). I've gone over that patch of carpet with my steamer and sprayed some dettol aerosol stuff on it which I'm hoping will be enough to disinfect.

It's not so much that I hoard as I get scared of dealing with things/worry if I give certain things to charity they will have something wrong with them and hurt someone. I've had worries about mould in the house (not extreme but there is mould that I get in the kitchen) Had my landlord doing lots of work replacing bathroom, taking front of house off to deal with a leak - had a few months over a year ago where it felt like he lived here and was really violating and triggering as the work seemed quite extreme. I got scared in case there was asbestos and landlord was very dismissive. On top of this, other contamination things have slowed me down with getting rid of stuff.

It was all a problem when I was having talking therapy years ago, which is why I know that it doesn't help me with the problem. My mental health is a lot better in that I enjoy life now rather than being constantly suicidal. I am very good at my job and get a lot of pleasure from that.

However, I am very ashamed of the conditions that my 17 year old daughter has to put up with. Her room is the messiest in the house and food disappears up there - and she has an extensive floordrobe - so I'm very concerned mouse wise about her. She has mental health problems and our relationship is quite strained, so don't feel able to broach it properly with her.

I need professional help - I've just not known where to start to get it - I see an association of declutterers - but it looks like anyone can join that. I need help from someone I can trust and who will understand my mental health issues.

I meant to say thank you by the way for your thoughtful replies and ideas and the time you've taken to write them to me. I really do appreciate your kindness

Do I just need to clean things that have mouse droppings on or do I have to clean down every single thing in the room?

Just stick to the things that have droppings on them.

Also, I'd say that 99% of people have inadvertently hoovered up mouse droppings. It's not a big deal.

Did you look at this professional body?
I've just searched some of the professionals near me and it seems like there are some really empathic trained people on there

www.apdo.co.uk/member/paula-jones.html

Sorry I didn't mean to link to any particular profile.

Not sure if this will make you feel any better but I had no idea you shouldn't hoover up mouse droppings and have hoovered them up lots of times and we are all still here. We have a cat who sometimes brings live mice in and let's them go then I usually find them hidden in a corner or behind some furniture.

In relation to getting rid of things and worrying they'd hurt someone - could you afford to hire a skip and just dump it all?